a series of training games played by major-league teams before the opening of the season (so named because they take place in the citrus-growing South, as in Florida).
The association of major-league teams as they play each other in preseason training
[1937+ Baseball; fr the fact that most spring training camps are held in citrus-growing regions]
The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D. Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers. Cite This Source